Drones

10 Best Drone Cameras 2019 – Buyer’s Guide

Drones are super cool, and for a while nobody can doubt this statement. It is quite overwhelming the intriguing possibilities that they offer to expand the horizons of adventure and beauty. Today, the best drone camera you can buy in 2019 will be revealed.

Yes, it would want to buy even for people who do not have sufficient valid reasons to invest in drones. Okay? Although the drones are super cool, they are quite expensive as well. Most of them are for enthusiasts or individuals who mainly experiment with videography. Nearly all the good, high-end drones come with incredible cameras.

However, this guide will provide you with the best purchasing options for both high and low ends. So everyone can enjoy this beautiful creation of mankind’s beauty and exciting features.

10 Best Drone cameras 2019

There are some things you should know about before you start. The market for drones is divided into two major domains. There are high-level, enthusiastic-grade drones such as the DJI Phantom 4 and the DJI T600 Inspire 1, and then cheaper options are available.

The low-end drones, AKA toy drones, cost much less than you would expect to pay for a DJI Phantom 4, or similar-class drones. They can, however, offer some irresistible fun. To address the needs of seasoned professionals as well as hobbyists, this guide covers both types of drones. So, you’re going to look at some really high-end stuff from DJI’s likes, and GoPro, as well as some entrance-level toy drones targeted at people who just want some fun.

The famous DJI Mavic Pro is the first best drone camera on our list. Now, in case you don’t know, on several occasions, Casey Neistat himself endorsed this drone. He went on to say that this may be the best drone camera he’s had the opportunity to use, and that’s something.

Before we start, you should know that Dà-Jiāng Innovations Science and Technology Co. (commonly known as DJI) is a Chinese company specializing in the creation of some of the best drone cameras on the market that we have seen. They’re really known for their Phantom lineup, something we’re going to see on today’s list. They also have some other lineups such as the Inspire series. The company has, of course, ensured that it has the full range of best drone cameras suitable for all kinds of consumers.

Throughout our testing process, we discovered that DJI Mavic Pro is actually one of the best drone camera we’ve ever used. With the insightful discussion ahead, we will now rest our case. So, let’s look at the DJI Mavic Pro without further ado. We’re going to take a look at some of the things that hold back this otherwise amazing drone apart from the impressive pros.

The DJI Mavic Pro best drone camera is extremely compact. It sounds insane, but actually, the drone can be folded to the size of a little bottle of water. So wherever you want you can take it pretty much. In addition, Mavic Pro comes with something very special called the OcuSync transmission system. The transmission system provides up to 4.3 miles (7 km) of transmission range for the best drone camera. While the controller can fly the drone at 40 mph (64 km/h) of impressive speed.

Special features like ActiveTrack and TapFly come with the best drone camera DJI Mavic Pro . To ensure that your video shooting goes perfectly well, these features are there. The capable 4 K camera enables you to easily shoot high-quality images. The camera of the drone is capable of seeing objects coming in and avoiding them easily. Combined with the redundancy of the sensor, this gives you unparalleled flight safety and reliability.

Also known as vision positioning technology, it has something that works in parallel with GPS and GLONASS. This ensures that the positioning of the drone remains accurate whether you are indoors or outdoors. With the help of WiFi, you can easily control the DJI Mavic with your phone thanks to advanced sensors and tech. Especially when you feel lazy indoors and want to play with your best drone camera, this feature is really handy.

Pros

This is one of the most affordable PROFESSIONAL DRONE (less than $ 1000)

We’re going to take a step down and discuss some of the legends now. First and foremost, because it’s huge, the only reason it’s not in our top position, and because of a bulky design that makes it less portable than Mavic or Karma. Other than that, this is best drone camera is most polished and professional out there.

For people who don’t know, DJI Phantom 4 is probably the most popular and best drone camera on the market. Casey Neistat has used this drone in case you wonder how well it is, and he has a total of 7 Phantom 4s.

That should be the only reason this drone should be purchased. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, to those who seek more than a personal choice. We have managed to use the DJI phantom 4, which is actually one of the best drone camera on the market, our testing process has revealed. Check out our complete review below in case you wonder what made it so good.

The DJI Phantom 4 best drone camera comes with both the ability to take off and the ability to return home alone. The credit goes to its technology of brilliant GPS. The Phantom 4 best drone camera is extremely easy to use and comes with an app that allows you to easily and conveniently control and monitor all the brilliant camera operations. The Phantom 4 best drone camera is extremely well made and can easily allow the user to capture videos at 30 fps in 4K. The camera also supports the maximum resolution in photos of 12 megapixels.

The drone camera has an impressive f/2.8 lens that gives people who want extremely crisp, detailed and clear pictures a rather wider field of view. It also comes with a stabilization technology known as Gimbal. This technology is good enough to provide users with a great hover function, as well as capturing brilliant footage even when the drone is in the air and moving around.

Users can use the included software the DJI director that has an integrated video editor to edit their video as they please. The editor also allows you to add text, music, and a few other options.

Although the Phantom 4 is beautiful, it is only available in white colour, something that can put off potential buyers. Battery life isn’t as good as we’d like it to be, and the drone is pretty expensive.

So, you’ve got it. Is the DJI Phantom 4 a good option for those who want to spend money on top of the line? Yes, it’s one of the best drones camera we’ve used in a long, long time, as a matter of fact. It lives up to DJI’s amazing legacy, and that’s something to say. If you wonder if we have any complaints with the drone? Well, the DJI Phantom has one downside, but that’s completely subjective. Nevertheless, the negative point is mentioned below for those who would insist on knowing.

One of the best drones on our list, the Halo Drone Pro somehow manages to mix in a single, very stylish, portable design all the best features on the drone market. Halo Board, the Halo Drone Pro company, has been in the high-end electronics market for years.

Having previously released the best available electric skateboards and hoverboards, this is their first foray into the drone market—and they have come out swinginging with a portable, 4K-capable, fully feature-decked best drone camera .

We had a chance to get our hands on one of the Halo Drone Pro’s best drone camera, although relatively new, and run it through its paces. There is room for improvement, but at its price point, we’re not sure you can find a more fully loaded package with great follow-up modes, a secondary wrist remote for fast flights, and an interchangeable camera gimbal compatible with GoPro Hero cameras and even the Yi 4K and Yi 4K+ cameras! The included camera is great enough for you to see nobody swapping unless you have a very specific need for your shot.

The Halo Drone Pro excels in providing very easy-to-use automated systems to get first-time flyers out of the box in the air, while still allowing endless options for those seeking more advanced flight capabilities. The Halo Drone Pro and its lower-level offering, the Halo Drone, are both capable of accurate GPS tracking features, Auto Take-Off, Auto-Land, and Return-To-Home. It also comes with Follow Module, which is a little GPS beacon you can carry with you, allowing you to be tracked by the Halo Drone Pro with 7 unique follow-up modes.

The camera can capture great 4 K footage at 30fps, while the flight app of the Halo Drone is packed with features such as customizable route planning. This allows you to set flight paths on the map, adjust the specified velocity and height between each path, and the direction the drone should face for great automated flight and video recording.

Even under high wind conditions, the Halo Drone Pro is also quite the capable flyer and stable. The Halo Drone can fly at speeds of up to 45 + MPH with its larger 10′′ propellers. And the icing on the cake is that they all come packed in portable, foldable design.

So, if you’re looking for a fully loaded drone with lots of extras and features without breaking the bank, then you’ll find the Halo Drone Pro. The Halo Drone Pro comes packed in an awesome backpack case to top it all off so you can carry your gear with you comfortably and safely! Now, with Halo Board’s first drone model, we may be very impressed, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t find some downsides. Remember, on our accounts, these are all subjective, but if you’re interested, read below.

The next drone on our list is another from DJI, which is known as DJI T600 Inspire 1. This drone actually has the option to be managed by 2 controllers, and also one with only 1 controller.

Now, if you don’t know it’s a 4 K video camera, and it’s really good for recorded video, actually. This best drone camera is perfect for people who experience videography and are fond of recording high-quality, detailed videos, colors and sharpness. Now, this one is more aggressive compared to the DJI Phantom 4. This is one of the highest on the market in line best drone cameras. So, let’s have a look at the benefits that the DJI inspire 1 T600 made one of our favorite drones without any further ado.

There’s a DJI T600 Inspire 1 which we’ve been seeing for a long time, indeed. It is certainly a costly one, and it can be even more costly if you are willing to get the one with two controllers, but other than that, it is not negative that the drone is just fantastic. Believe it or not, this best drone camera can take over Phantom 4. If you wonder if we have downsides with the T600 Inspire 1, you should know that they are there, though they’re not deal breakers.

The T600 Inspire 1 comes with a fly-ready system which means all that you need to fly is added in the box. The only thing you need to do is to have a mobile phone or a screen and get a live HD view of the magnificent capture. The DJI T600 Inspire’s arms are made of strong fiber. These arms are not visible, so all your video recordings will be smooth without the arms interfering with your incredible video footages.

The DJI T600 Inspire 1 camera is capable of shooting 4 K videos and can take crystal – clear, accurate, and carefully detailed 12-megapixel images. The Inspire 1 is the best drone camera for the photographers and videographers.

Users can easily remove the T600 Inspire’s gimbal and camera system. This makes it easy for the user to upgrade the drone in the future, or simply to carry the entire drone safely from one place to another. You can easily connect the drone to your mobile phone to provide you with real-time live feed from the camera of the drone in 720p on your phone. For those who want to be fully aware of how the recording is going on, this is a great feature. While the professionals will obviously love the drone as it is, newcomers will be happy to know that the drone is extremely easy to set up and even easier to fly as soon as you have the right hold.

Sadly, as good as the DJI T600 Inspire 1’s flying experience, the battery life is awful, and the drone has only been able to last us 18 minutes on full charging. Separate accessories like the controller and the battery can dramatically increase the price of this drone.

Some of you may be surprised by the next drone on our list, and the reason is pretty simple. GoPro is basically this really good company that for ages has been creating active cameras. Their small cameras are capable of recording videos at true 4K. They can take their cameras anywhere and mount them to almost anything.

It goes without saying that GoPro has dominated the active camera market on its own. The company has, by leaps and bounds, surpassed the competition in the camera market. Nothing has been able to get even close to GoPro’s amazing cameras for a long time.

Given their exceptional “active” industry expertise, GoPro also decided to jump into the drone industry. The result was GoPro Karma’s launch. Now many eyebrows about the Karma have been raised. People were still in doubt until the first hands-on video review by Casey Neistat appeared. The video showed how impressive the GoPro Karma is and how fast it is.

It is important to know that this review is based entirely on the prototype version’s earlier opinions. With that said, we have no doubts at all about the GoPro Karma’s best drone camera capabilities and prowess. If there is any drone in our personal opinion to challenge DJI Mavic Pro, it is GoPro’s Karma.

The GoPro Karma is extremely portable, just like the DJI Mavic Pro. The wings themselves can be folded into the drone, making it easier to carry around. For both seasoned flyers and newcomers, the Karma is extremely easy to operate. Thanks to the control schemes that are easy to understand and an intuitive UI. The drone comes with a GoPro Passenger app. This app allows your friends to fly your drone and even control the GoPro as they want.

Besides the built – in camera, a number of different GoPro cameras are actually supported by the GoPro Karma. Hero 4, Hero 5 Black, and Hero Session are the options. To have the best possible and smoothest video recordings, the drone ships with a GoPro Karma grip.

Pros

It comes with a hand stabilizer

Portable

Built-in display on the controller

Cons

The software is not that advanced (There is no “Follow Me” mode)

The “Obstacles to avoid” feature is missing

Battery Life Sucks (GoPro claimed that they were 27 minutes, but they only last between 18 and 20 minutes)

There’s no denying that the DJi’s Phantom drone series has become a kind of benchmark for consumer drones at the top of the line of best drone cameras. Despite being made with consumers in mind, they are just as appealing to the most professional people out there.

If you don’t know, since the drone first came out, the popular YouTuber / filmmaker Casey Niestat used the DJI Phantom 4 as his primary drone to shoot a lot of quality footage. With that said, we don’t look at the Phantom 4 today, but we’re going to look at his younger brother, known as the DJI Phantom 3 Professional.

Now when you compare this with phantom 4, not much has changed in terms of looks, but thanks to the golden accents, the Phantom 3 Professional has a bit of a flashier design. But don’t, if you’re wondering about the accents that ruin the drone’s simplicity. In fact, they nicely complement the drone and are certainly a welcome addition.

For quite some time, we had the DJI Phantom 3 Professional in our hands, and while we were a little skeptical, we discovered some really good things, as well as some minor drone issues. First, let’s look at all the good drone stuff. Below you’ll have all the amazing features to buy that make DJI Phantom 3 Professional such a wonderful and best drone camera.

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional is extremely easy to set up and is a pleasure to fly for both beginners and professionals. One of the best 4 K cameras we’ve seen is the camera on the Phantom 3 Professional; it produces crisp, clear videos full of details. It is also equipped with a vision positioning system that allows for super smooth and trouble-free indoor flights. The drone comes with a digital streaming feature known as the Lightbridge. This feature allows the user to live stream 720p internet videos while recording and internally storing the full-size video.

Last but not least, the Phantom 3 Professional comes with an iOS and Android-compatible app that allows you to control the camera and have a live view of everything the camera records on your phone. Unfortunately, we’ve seen on the list just like the other drones, this one is also plagued by some familiar issues. You ask, what are these issues? Well, let’s take a look at them below.

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional comes at a heavy price, no matter how you buy it (with or without the bundle of accessories). Like most of the drones we’ve seen on the list, the DJI Phantom 3 Professional also comes with a medium battery life that lasts about 20 minutes on a single charge somewhere and only racks the cost of buying a spare battery.

A step away from DJI, we’re looking at some other options. The Yuneeq Q500 4 K, also known as Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon, is the next offer we have at our hands. Having said that, one can assume that this has been done as a direct competition on our list to other best drone cameras, especially those from DJI, and it can actually be considered a worthy competitor.

The drone comes in an oddly large, stylish carrying case. For those who don’t like the white, sober looks of the drones of the DJI Phantom series, you should be happy to know that this one is dressed in black, something Batman would love. Nevertheless, not much love has been lost as this is one of the most beautiful drones we’ve had the opportunity to use. Unfortunately, we really can’t let the looks decide how good the drone is. That’s why we decided to go through the paces with the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon to see how good it is.

Just like before, before we look at things that aren’t so appealing, we’ll focus on the good things. So, let’s take a look at the good things about the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon without wasting any more time.

Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon is capable of providing a smooth, fully stable 4 K video recording that is all nice, sharp, colorful and full of details; the 12 megapixel camera does a great job of capturing amazing stills, and the distortion-free lens is more than just a gimmick. The camera can be used separately and attached to an included handgrip that can also be used to take the same beautiful pictures and footage on the ground.

Unlike some other drone controllers, the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon controller is actually based on an all – in – one concept ; the controller features a screen that provides you with a camera – based first – person view of the drone, along with the ability to access camera controls directly from the screen.

You have 2 spare batteries that can be used in the drone and you can purchase the same drone at a lower price without the 2 batteries added. In addition to being controlled by the built-in remote, the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon can also be controlled by the super compact Wizard remote control. The drone is competitively priced and with or without the battery bundle the drone is cheaper than most direct competitors.

From the looks, the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon may actually appear to be better than the competition, especially with the competitive price, but without its flaws it doesn’t exist. If you wonder, the drone has some obvious flaws, and we’ll see which ones are there.

While the drone itself looks pretty compact, there’s no way to put it in anything apart from the rather large carrying case, making it less travel – friendly. As sad as it might seem, without any support, the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon enters the famous waypoint navigation.

So, on the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon you have the complete rundown, whether you’re going to buy it or not, it’s up to you. However, we noticed that it’s still cheaper than most of the competition, even with all the beautiful features, and that’s definitely a good thing.

You might wonder why we drifted apart from the well – known companies like GoPro and DJI and now focus more on the underdogs. Well, that’s because they do n’t get much attention, and we’re about to change that.

The next best drone camera on our list is 3D Robotics Solo, and while the name is uninteresting, it is certainly not the drone. If you wonder, like the Yuneec Q500 4 K Typhoon, this drone is also heavily focused on the price-to-performance ratio, which means buyers get the fair value of every dollar they spend on it.

You should know that the consumer best drone camera market is currently divided into 2 parts before we start reviewing this drone. One part is dominated by drones that come with their own cameras installed, and the second part is where drones use GoPro cameras.

If you wonder which category belongs to the 3D Robotics Solo, it is the second category as it allows you to attach a GoPro. However, you would have to buy the camera separately according to the Amazon listing. This is something quite understandable as the drone costs nearly 3 times less than the DJI Phantom 4 and is still one of the best drone camera on the market.

If you want everything right on the spot, however, you can spend some extra (yet lower than the competition) and get the Gimbal bundle. The bundle includes almost everything you’d need, as well as a carrying case you can use to house your drone in.

That was something about the features of the camera and this drone’s pricing. Let’s look at the performance now. We will now share how our testing process has enabled the 3D Robotics Solo to hold out. The drone comes with complete Gimbal support and offers one of the best industrial designs we’ve seen. This means it gets the superior stabilization and support that is known for most of our beloved drones. The 3D Robotics Solo has a security feature “Return to Home,” thanks to the GPS system, allows the drone to return to the position it took off.

Although the drone ships with a remote control inside a powerful 1 GHz processor, you can control the drone using an iOS and Android mobile app. Any camera’s ability to attach is definitely amazing. The drone, which makes both hardcore and newcomers feel right at home, is extremely easy to learn and master.

As good as this drone’s other features are, the GPS appears to be a little slow and may have a problem finding the right positioning. Like any other drone we’ve been looking at, the battery life is suffering.

The next best drone camera in our list is totally different from the other drones.It is not so large as your Go To Drones you can buy in the market. Actually, it may be one of the smallest drones you have seen with the rotors.

That’s not everything. Where other drones follow a design language that is very aggressively placed, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 has a different design language in fact. The design is quite held back instead of going all out and looks like a flying saucer. Whether or not that adds or removes anything from the aerodynamics as a whole, we’re not too sure. With that said, you’d be happy to know that it’s pretty low priced for those who wonder how much the drone costs. Considering how this drone is not really built for professional photographers or filmmakers, this is completely understandable. That doesn’t mean that this drone isn’t good.

Now, before we start looking at the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 in depth, we want to address some confusions. The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is actually a toy drone, unlike the other best drone cameras in our list that are actual, consumer-grade, professional drones. While you still get a camera option, for professional photography it is not capable of 4 K and certainly not made. You should also remember, though, that although it’s more of a toy drone than a full-sized drone, it’s still really, really good.

This best drone camera will provide you countless hours of fun provided. Another thing you need to keep in mind is that this drone doesn’t come with physical controls. In order to physically control the drone, you would require a Nvidia Shield. However, you can still fly the drone using the app with your own smartphone.

Let’s take a deeper look and talk about the pros and cons of the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0. Unbelievably simplistic controls make this drone a flying pleasure. With your drone, you can perform some cool stunts. Although the 2 built-in cameras do not have a high-end camera, they provide plenty of functionality to explore and try. While you need a Nvidia Shield to use physical controls, using your smartphone applications makes the drone quite easy to use. All the footage taken by the 2 built-in cameras will be stored directly on the phone, which is really cool. The drone is available in a variety of colors.

The life of the battery is expected to be short, much like any other drone we’ve been testing.

You may have noticed that as the list comes to an end, we are also starting to explore drones that are actually much cheaper than some of the professional drones we reviewed in the beginning.

Keep in mind that we have already stated that a sudden change will take place. If you have missed this point, you know we’re going to the cheap drones but the best in the class.

Let us introduce the latest Cheerson Hobby CX-20 Professional best drone camera without any wasting of time. This drone is now inclined to hobbyists, as you can say with the name. Nevertheless, you should be happy to know the mount for a Go Pro, even though your drone is not shipped with a camera. This equips you mainly to start shooting footage at 4 K and to take brilliantly detailed photos.

Before we dig deeper into the details, you should know that the Cheerson Hobby CX-20 Professional best drone camera is close to the drones of the DJI Phantom series. As much as they seem alike, thanks to the red accents on this one, you can easily distinguish the two. Although the affordable price tag may make you think it’s a toy drone, but it’s not entirely true. The drone comes with a lot of advanced features including vision positioning system. Unlike the AR.Drone 2.0, it does have a dedicated remote controller that you can use to control easily.

Let’s not waste any more time with that out of the way, and take a look at how good the Cheerson Hobby CX-20 Professional is. Now we’re going to start weighing in on both the pros and the cons.

This best drones camera comes with advanced features such as vision positioning system, pathfinder, and home auto-return. Mounting the camera allows the user to add a Go Pro camera and shoot beautiful 4 K footage as well as clear stills. It is priced competitively without sacrificing on the quality of the construction. Attractive white design on the body with red accents. Learn easily and have fun flying with full physical controls.

The battery life is shorter and the battery charging time is longer. There is not much information available on finding spare parts because of being relatively new.

Pros

Characteristics of the positioning system, route finder and return home